The Warrior Made of Straw
by Grilled Cheesby
Summary: Being a sensei wasn't exactly fun. Being a sensei to his past self and the past versions of his two closest friends wasn't his idea of a good time either. Especially since every time one of them said 'Sutorō-sensei,' he is abruptly reminded that their little family isn't complete. That it'll never be complete. That he's not who he says he is. Time Travel/Dimension Travel


**Summary: **_Being a sensei wasn't exactly fun. Being a sensei to his past self and the past versions of his two closest friends wasn't his idea of a good time either. Especially since every time one of them said 'Sutorō-sensei,' he is abruptly reminded that their little family isn't complete. That it'll never be complete. That he's not who he says he is._

**So hi! This is a thing I've been writing on my phone for like several days. There's some spelling errors and some weird stuff going on with how it's laid out, but oh well.**

* * *

"Sutorō-sensei!"

Sutorō paused, shifting slightly as he turned around, his single revealed eye scanning the crowd carefully.

"Over here, sensei!" the young voice cried again.

Sutorō gave a small chuckle, smiling slightly behind his mask, before heading towards Ichiraku, feeling silly for not guessing sooner.

"What are you up to today, sensei?" His pink haired student asks once he enters. Sakura is smiling at him, her legs swinging back and forth beneath her. Naruto grunts from next to her, absorbed with his pork ramen, but curious nonetheless. Sutorō can't see Sasuke's face, but he'd bet money that the young Uchiha was rolling his eyes at the blonde's behavior.

"Just some simple grocery shopping," Sutorō replies, lifting his only arm to show off the produce bag in his hand. "The tomatoes down the street are especially good this time of year." That gets him a look from Sasuke before the boy looks away, feigning disinterest. Sutorō fights a smile, ignoring the fact that they wouldn't even be able to see it behind the cloth mask covering half his face.

"Tomatoes are gross," Naruto mumbles in between mouthfuls of ramen, grunting when Sakura elbows him in the side. He doesn't stop slurping though, even as he rubs his injured side gently.

"Ignore him, sensei! Would you like to join us?" Sakura asks sweetly, not even looking at Naruto when she swats his hand as he tried to reach for her own bowl of ramen.

"Thank you for the offer, Sakura-chan, but I still have other errands to run. I'll see all three of you tomorrow morning."

"Alright, sensei! Have a good day!" Sakura responds cheerfully, drawing twin grunts from her two male teammates.

Sutorō nods, turning on his heel and heading out of Ichiraku, a smile on his face and an ache in his chest.

* * *

Sutorō lays on his side, crickets chirping as a half-moon shines down on him from his curtain-less window. He fights a hiccup, a sob threatening to leave his throat, unable to stop the tears spilling from his eyes.

When he first found himself in the past, hope had planted seeds in his heart. Sure, he hadn't landed back far enough to stop the Uchiha massacre, but he could still play a part in the upcoming events. He had debated his next course of action in a small bar when he had overheard a conversation from some unsuspecting chūnin.

"What are they going to do then? There isn't enough available jōnin for the amount of students that are graduating."

"They'll probably have to use a special jōnin? Hey, do you think they might have to ask Anko to be a sensei?"

"Do not even joke about that."

Both confused and curious, Sutorō had left the bar and headed towards the Hokage Tower. For anyone else, breaking into the tower might've been difficult, but Sutorō had the ability to teleport, so it wasn't particularly tough. It was when he was going through the academy files and the jōnin assigned to genin teams that he realized something was severely wrong.

It took him three days to find out Hatake Kakashi died on a classified ANBU mission. Sutorō hasn't just gone back in time like he assumed. He had somehow managed to end up in a different dimension's past.

He sniffled slightly, disgruntled by the burning in his eyes. He had immediately gone to the Sandaime, explaining as best he could what and who exactly he was. The older man had seen plenty, and was well aware of the Jikan Phenomenon, so he took Sutorō's word for it. He eventually allowed Sutorō to take over as sensei for team 7. It had taken Sutorō revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan, but it was worth it in his opinion.

Being a sensei wasn't exactly fun. Being a sensei to his past self and the past versions of his two closest friends wasn't his idea of a good time either. Especially since every time one of them said 'Sutorō-sensei,' he is abruptly reminded that their little family isn't complete. That it'll never be complete. That he's not who he says he is.

* * *

The first time he saw Kakashi, he was disappointed. This was the man that was supposed to train him? The sensei that was supposed to help Sasuke get strong enough to kill Itachi in order to avenge Sasuke's clan? (The first time he saw Kakashi, before the disappointment, his heart fluttered.)

He showed up to train every day, always on time, always left waiting hours on end, always dodging Sakura's fanatics and Naruto's stupidity. Never training for long enough. (He waits in anticipation for Kakashi to arrive. Puts up with Sakura's screeching and Naruto's grumbling. Always eager. He never wishes for his time with his sensei to end early.)

He's outraged when he sees Kakashi wielding a Sharingan (he's hesitantly hopeful that maybe he's not as alone as he thought he was).

(The first thing he sees when he wakes up after shielding Naruto with his body is Kakashi's warm gaze. If he wasn't exhausted, and laying on the ground in pain, Sasuke wonders if he would've shifted nervously).

Instances flash through his head, training with Kakashi, trying to see under his mask with Naruto and Sakura, the decision to sign up for the chūnin exams.

The day Kakashi told him he was personally training Sasuke, that he would teach Sasuke a move Kakashi invented himself, Sasuke flushed from his head down to his feet. He doesn't deny it, or try to hide it either. That moment changed the way Sasuke fought. It gave him a piece of Kakashi to carry around for the rest of his living days.

For the period of time he was out of the village, he doesn't think about any of these things. He doesn't think about Kakashi's smiling eyes or his relaxed gate. He doesn't think about anything. He only trains and reaches, desperate to reach his goal.

After everything, all the death and the soul searching, all the shouting and tears, all the time served, Sasuke is back in the village and left in the wind. He declines Sakura's offer to stay with her, glares at Naruto when he opens his mouth to offer the same thing. Sai just smiles, not even pretending to want him around. He halfheartedly makes the decision to search for a new apartment when Kakashi offers him a bone.

"You can stay with me until you get on your feet."

Sasuke remembers how neutrally the older man said it, how his voice never pitched towards any emotions. It had hurt, just a bit, but he figured he deserved the slightly cold tone. Still, he accepted anyway.

He lived with Kakashi for months. They shared a home for months. Sasuke cooked, Kakashi added colorful commentary, and it was the best six months of Sasuke's life. He sparred with Naruto, let Sakura down gently and then put in the effort to strengthen their friendship, and he spent time hanging around the apartment with Kakashi and his ninken.

Sasuke was happy. And then he felt a tug from his Mangekyou Sharingan and he was gone.

* * *

Sutorō sighed, dragging himself away from his memories. He wasn't Uchiha Sasuke, not anymore. He was Satō Sutorō, the sensei of team 7. He is a jōnin that has been out of the village for almost a decade on an undercover operation that has only recently ended. Deciding on a change of pace, he agreed to be the sensei for team 7 when all other options were exhausted. He was kind, hardworking, and according to the grapevine, he hid hideously gruesome scars under the mask that covers one of his eyes and the bottom half of his face.

Sutorō knows that his mask is both a homage and a convenient piece of clothing that helps hide his features. He is undoubtedly an Uchiha, one that looks more closely like Sasuke than his own brother. Not only does the cloth allow him to hide, it is in memory of the sensei that isn't remebered by anybody but him. The ANBU agent that died alone, taken down somewhere in Amegakure with no back up in sight. A mission gone horribly awry. (Sutorō looks at the village, reads the vague details of the mission, and aches.)

The time for Sasuke to leave passes and Sutorō lets out a breath, relief coursing through his veins. It's almost a full year past the fight between Naruto and Sasuke that should've happened when Tsunade, put in charge by Sarutobi after he insists he needs to retire again, gives Sutorō a solo mission.

"There's some unrest in Yugakure that I want you to check out. There's something going on that doesn't sit right with me. Stay there a week and then report back to the village. If any more investigations are necessary, I'll send you out with a team."

So Sutorō did as asked, heading out, slightly hesitant to be in the same village that Hidan was from. The psychopathic maniac was already gone by now, but the chosen ignorance the village hides behind rubs Sutorō the wrong way regardless.

He's sitting in a tea shop, dressed in civilian clothing with a scarf around his neck and face, and a simple eye-patch covering his Rinnegan, when he has the displeasure of spotting a black cloak with red clouds across the street.

Deidara is a sight for sore eyes, his long blonde hair swishing behind him as he bounces along the road. Sutorō's eyes track him as he takes a careful sip of tea, the hot liquid warming him pleasantly as he watches the man go. He glances around discreetly, making sure no one is paying him much attention, before he activates his Mangekyou Sharingan, carefully reading the blonde man's lips as he pauses across the street.

"We should'a just let Hidan pick up his own shit, un," Deidara whines to an unseen companion, pouting as he crosses his arms. "Who cares if they recognize him? He would've gotten a kick outta killin' more of his village."

Sutorō bites back a sneer, keeping his eyes on Deidara while taking another sip of his warm tea. He can see another cloak just peeking out from around the corner. It's too tall to be Sasori, which means Deidara has a different partner for this particular mission. _Just what are you after,_ Sutorō wonders as the second figure finally emerges from around the corner.

Dark eyes and gray hair almost hidden under a straw hat. A rigid stance that reminds Sutorō of an ANBU on guard. A face revealed to the world, the signature mask nowhere in sight. A frowning Hatake Kakashi glares at Deidara and responds, "We do as Pein-sama tells us to."

Sutorō could feel his heart beat, the quick pace sending adrenaline rushing through his veins. There was a ringing in his ears and his entire body was locked up, frozen in shock. His eye roamed Kakashi's figure, taking in the red clouds of the Akatsuki robe and the visible katana strapped across his back. He looked stern; an odd juxtaposition. The Kakashi the Sutorō was familiar with could be perfectly serious, but there was a more dower tone to it. His Kakashi could smile and tease, wave away concerns while simultaneously fawning over his students if they were hurt. He was insincere with most things, but sincere about what mattered. He carried around a book of porn for kami's sake! This straight backed Kakashi, Sutorō figures, is what he looked like before he relied so heavily upon his Obito-esque attitude.

Sutorō watches them leave, making the executive decision to not make contact. He was supposed to observe, after all, and he doubted he would be able to fight Kakashi seriously without having all the information. Finishing off his now cold tea, Sutorō rose from his chair and idly headed towards his hotel.

* * *

"Hatake Kakashi is alive," Sutorō states more than asks, meeting Hiruzen's gaze head on.

The old man is smoking, relaxing in his garden under then evening sky. Asuma has his own place and Konohamaru is on a mission outside of the village. The only two people on the compound lands are Hiruzen and Sutorō, so he doesn't even pretend to be there for any other reason.

Hiruzen takes a deep breath in, puffing smoke as he stares intently at Sutorō. Silence reigns for a second, a minute, before the old man turns his gaze away and looks up at the clouds floating by in the sky.

"When Itachi left to go undercover in the Akatsuki, I grew worried. You're tidings of Danzō's betrayal wasn't news to me. Years ago, who knows how many at this point, Danzō used ROOT for many things. One such thing he assigns them are assassinations. He ordered an agent under him to kill me. That agent was Hatake Kakashi." Hiruzen pauses, taking another puff off his pipe.

Sutorō gives him a sharp look, anxious for the man's explanation, but also weary for where exactly Hiruzen was going with his story.

"When Hatake came to me with the truth, I knew I had let Danzō do as he wished for too long. When he told me of the other machinations my old friend had in place, well. I realized I needed more than Itachi out in the world. The boy is young still and traumatized to boot. He can deal with giving Konoha the information we need. He is rather recognizable, however. Hatake was in the unique position to show his face and have no one recognize him. Throw in some contacts and a little makeup and suddenly he no longer looks like his father."

Sutorō flashes back to when he saw Kakashi, the way both his eyes were dark, scar nowhere in sight. The cheekbones that were just a little bit more cut than he remembers them being, the nose that was just a tad too narrow, and even the slightly tanner pallor the man was sporting. Recognizable to Sutorō, of course, the man who saw his face without the mask for months on end. The man who studied Kakashi's smile over the dinner table, intent on memorizing it. Sutorō would recognize Kakashi, but would anyone else? No, he realizes suddenly. Gai could walk past the Kakashi Sutorō saw and not even blink an eye.

"So he's just out there? Doing what?"

"Following his orders," Hiruzen shrugs, finally laying his pipe down on the table. "He will be a loyal member of the Akatsuki until he deems it time to reveal himself."

Sutorō bit his lip, unable to hide his apprehension. His mask was pulled down, his emotions on display, and he couldn't hide his increased anxiety from the once Hokage.

"What's his name?" Sutorō eventually asks, his tone somber.

"Hm?"

"His name. He obviously isn't going by Hatake Kakashi any longer."

Hiruzen side eyes him, chuckling softly before moving to stand. He takes several steps away from Sutorō before looking back and meeting both of his eyes.

"He goes by Senshi."

Sutorō stares at the pipe the older man leaves behind as he walks away.

_Senshi_. Warrior. How fitting.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed. Sorry for the format lol I'll edit this whenever I get back on my computer lol**


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